AFP

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Our Mine Warfare Force

INTRODUCTION. A country with a 36,289-kilometer coastline and the world’s second largest archipelago, the Philippines’ lifeline is the sea, thus utilizing it to our advantage is a primary mission as part of today’s area denial counter to an invader. The country having a number of straits, inlets, bays and passageways can use these features in delaying the enemy’s advance. The…


Rightsizing and Retooling Defense Forces

In April this year, the President ordered a review of numerous government positions for rightsizing to “upgrade and reskill the workforce in order to improve state services and programs.” The call emanated from the President’s 2022 State of the Nation Address. Consequently several legislators proposed a National Rightsizing Act that is well-aligned with the Revised Administrative Code. The review and…


DEFENDING OUR PATRIMONY :The need to Reshape the AFP’s Operational Plan

The 2023 budget deliberations and recent legislative hearings once more brought to the fore their observation about our present inability to confront intrusions into the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Rise. One senator urged “the government to expedite the buildup of defense forces in the WPS.” Another congressman was advocating to stress lethality in the development of this force….



PN Reservist – A Life of Sacrifice and Commitment And It’s All Worth It

Many, up to now, refer to AFP Reservists as “Reservist lang” by which they mean we are not part, or of a lower class compared with the regular force counterpart. They seem to think that we do not share the same “courage” and “heroism” as with a regular soldier, when the time comes for an actual battle to call on…


Maritime League Meets the New Marina Chief

To discuss areas of collaboration, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Administrator Atty. Hernani N. Fabia met with the Maritime League on Friday, 19-August-2022. The Maritime League, led by its President and Chairman, Vice Admiral Eduardo Ma R Santos AFP (Ret), together with their other officials, paid a courtesy call to the Administrator and extended their congratulations to him for his appointment…


Oath-Taking of Maritime League’s New Members and Trustees

On 23-June-2022, the Maritime League held its first face-to-face conference after the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, at the SMX Mall of Asia during the PHILMARINE 2022 Convention. The new members of the Maritime League were inducted by its Chairman and President Admiral Eduardo Ma R Santos AFP (Ret). In attendance were COL Ricardo D Petrola PN(M), John Ivar…



Protecting the Protectors

In the early 2000s, the AFP created an ad hoc committee to conduct a feasibility study on the acquisition of three (3) 90-meter corvettes offered by a Canadian firm. As former skipper of a similar vessel, I was designated as the vice chair. The “project” did not materialize because the proposal lacked certain requirements. Had the government pursued it, the…


PH-US BALIKATAN in 2022

Manila, April 8, 2022—Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. military gathered today to celebrate the successful completion of Balikatan 22, the 37th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise. Over the last two weeks, nearly 9,000 exercise participants from the AFP and U.S. military trained shoulder-to-shoulder from the northern coast of Luzon to Palawan, focusing…



Maritime League Trustee is Navy Reservist of the Year

It was not so long ago when a fine young man had joined the Maritime League, and that man eventually became one of the League’s Trustees. He is LTJG Christian R Chua PN (Res), a junior officer by rank, but to his colleagues, he is a true soldier, gentleman, leader and a fine officer who can be trusted. We would…


Preparation for the Proposed New Naval Forward Operating Base Facing the Pacific

01-March-2022, Bagamanoc, Catanduanes – CAPTAIN SALVADOR G LAVAPIE JR PN(GSC), Chairman, Technical Working Group (TWG) Forward Operating Base (FOB) Catanduanes and Commander, Naval Task Force – 31 (NTF-31), paid a courtesy call to Catanduanes Governor, Hon. Joseph Chua Cua on 01 March 2022. The courtesy call is in connection with the proposed construction of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) for…


Joint Law Enforcement Operatives Destroy Php 375 million Worth of Marijuana in Kalinga

05-March-2022. Joint law enforcement operatives have destroyed 1,837,200 fully-grown Marijuana plants, 30,000 grams of dried fruiting tops, 6,000 grams of Marijuana seeds, 70,000 grams of powdered Marijuana, and 492,666 grams of dried Marijuana leaves and stalks with a total estimated market value of PHP 375 Million during their 10-Day Air and Land Interoperability Operations Against Illegal Drugs in the province…


Strengthening our Inter-Agency Cooperation to protect our National Interests

Introduction. The lack of maritime domain awareness and lack of expertise among countries in managing their maritime domain has allowed proliferation of lawlessness and crime on the seas. Organized crime and terrorism have become interconnected and more complex. A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has run aground since 1999 and became a…


Gov’t Agencies Join Hands in Restoration of Cagayan River after Typhoon Ulysses

The promise of President Rodrigo Duterte to normalize the lives of Cagayan residents and those in nearby provinces after the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses was further realized as government agencies pooled resources to restore the Cagayan River. Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade joined Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu, Department of Public Works and…



The Global Commons

The global commons refer to the four domains where mother earth’s shared natural resources, outside of national jurisdiction, are found: maritime, air, space and cyberspace. Among these, the oldest is the maritime domain, followed by air in early 20th century with the discovery of human flight; followed by airspace with the launching of satellites into outer space in the 1950s;…



Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA): Significant Change on the Horizon

Philippine President Duterte has recently forwarded notice to the United States (U.S.) his decision to terminate the current Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that has been in effect since 1999. This long-standing agreement is scheduled to renew or expire in August 2020.  The concerns expressed by many -for or against this action- address many opinions of which I will try to…



Being Amongst Living Heroes

     I am often lost for words to truly describe my experience spending precious time with my classmates in Naval Command and Staff Course Class 86.  All my life I wanted to be a soldier, but the Almighty God did not give me an answer to such calling, and the reason why is very much obvious to me.  Simply…



The Navy-Coast Guard Quandary

Reviewing some of my past email, I came across a June 23, 2011 query from a Philippine Marine reserve officer, Frank Suha, who has been living in the United States for many years: There is recent news that PCG is planning to buy brand-new high endurance cutters/vessels – this will be a big help in the West Philippine Sea issue….


Coast Guard Presents Newly Acquired Rescue Assets

As part of the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) capability development program, newly acquired rescue boats, vehicles and other equipment were presented yesterday, 30-May-2019, to beef up the agency’s readiness for the expected threats of typhoons that may hit the country this year. During the blessing and launching ceremony at the PCG Headquarters yesterday, the PCG Commandant Admiral Elson E Hermogino,…